Canada may soon allow easier pathways to permanent residence for temporary foreign workers, the Minister of Immigration, John McCallum, said on Sunday on national television. Details of modifications to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) are likely to be revealed in the coming weeks, with a parliamentary report on the matter set to be introduced.
The TFWP allows employers in Canada to hire internationally on a temporary basis to fill labour shortages, sometimes in low-skilled positions. Many of these workers’ potential route to permanent resident status have been described as too difficult, or impossible.
“[The government] is certainly considering providing a pathway to permanent residence,” said Minister McCallum, when asked about what might be done to provide pathways to workers.
“We think that those who come, in general, should have a pathway to permanent residence more so than is the case today. If they’re on a pathway to permanent residence, they’re only temporary for a while, and then they become full Canadians,” he added, referencing the fact that a pathway to permanent residence
The last overhaul of the TFWP occurred in June, 2014, when the process of hiring became more onerous for most employers than was previously the case. Since then, many foreign workers have had to leave Canada as their long-term residence prospects were limited.
